The Chase
by sonicscrewdriver576
Summary: People say I was born lucky. Others say I was lucky to be born, and even luckier to still be alive. I have been running from Templars my whole life, and I haven't stopped.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

People have always talked about the End of the World. But they would either be shunned, or locked away. We have always wondered how we came into being, and some say it was an explosion that created everything, others say it was a divine being. But we know better. There was a race before us, and we call them the Ones Who Came Before. They were an advanced civilization, with technology beyond our dreams, but they were wiped out. But there are still places that they left behind, little pieces of tech we call Pieces of Eden. Some are still missing, others have been found, and nearly all of them are in the enemy's hands.

Who are we? We have been waging war for many years, long before the Crusades, and many years before the Egyptian civilization began. If you believe such things. I do. We are the Brotherhood of the Assassins. We work in the shadows so the light may prosper in the land. We live by the Creed, which consists of three simple tenants: stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent, blend with the crowd, and never compromise the Brotherhood. To disobey the Creed is to die.

Our enemy, the Templars, who seek nothing else but power. They won't stop until every living soul on Earth serves them. Literally. They are everywhere, hiding, but we always find them, and when we do, they die.

Hello. My name is Artemis. My parents named me after the goddess, hoping I would be strong, and brave as she was. And I have lived up to my name. I lived a modest life in the countryside of Scotland, and I lived there with my older brother, and my two younger sisters. We all lived in a small house, with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a backyard with a garden. Near out house was a wide open field, with rolling hills with tall grass and wild flowers that would sway in the breeze, and past those hills, was the forest, and past the forest was the road that lead to the city a few miles away where my dad worked. For the first five years of my life, my mom homeschooled me, then I went to the elementary school. Enough of all this background stuff, lets get to the actual story.


	2. Hide and Seek

"I found you Artemis!" My older brother Denis shouted.

"Dang it!" I muttered. I stood up, and crawled out of my hiding place to where Denis was standing. It was a bright sunny autumn day, and leaves that were bright shades of red, orange, and yellow blanketed the ground, and some leaves were still in the trees. Denis stood a little ways outside the tree line, his arms folded and an amused smirk on his face.

"Okay, you caught me." I raised my hands up in surrender.

"Ready to find Lily and Ella?" Denis asked.

"You bet I am!" I smiled, and Denis and I took off into the woods. I guess I should explain who's who. Denis is twelve years old, and he's my older brother. He is really interested into computers and technology, and he also lays the occasional prank around the house. Lily is six years old, and is basically the peacekeeper around the house. Ella is three years old, and is the most quiet, calm person you"ll ever meet. And she is the best hider. I'm the second oldest. I'm ten years old, and my mom says I have a nose for trouble, but I think trouble finds me. And the fact that my hair is a bright red doesn't help me hide very well either.

"Artemis, get down!" Denis hissed as he crouched behind a fallen tree. "I think Lily went this way." Denis pointed off towards the stream.

"Okay. I'll head to the burnt tree, Ella might be around there." I whispered.

"Meet me back at the house when you've found Ella." Denis ran off to the stream, and I ran in the opposite direction. In a couple minutes, I reached the tree, and after searching through bushes and logs, I found Ella.

"Ella? How did you get in that tree?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"I dunno!" Ella said, gripping onto a branch.

"Well can you get down?"

"No."

"Okay, jump down, and I'll catch you." I said, holding my arms out.

"Do you promise you'll catch me?" Ella squeaked.

"I promise." I nodded. After a moments hesitation, Ella jumped down, and I caught her. I set her down on the ground and lead her back to the house.

"Will daddy be home?" Ella asked, looking up at me.

"Maybe, and he might have brought home some pie." I smiled, and we ran into Denis and Lily, and we raced back home, where the smell of chicken cooking wafted through the air.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

****"Mom? Dad?" I called out, wiping the mud off my shoes on the mat in front of the door. "We're home!"

There was no reply.

"Mom?" Ella shouted.

"I'll go find her. You all just stay on the couch." I said, heading upstairs. When I reached the top, I could hear my mom arguing with...someone.

"David!We can't tell them that!... So what if they do come? We can handle them..." Mom seethed. "You're right...when will they come?...great...well, I'll see you after work...and do not say _any thing _to the kids...yes especially Artemis...I love you too. Bye."

Before Mom opened the door, I silently hurried downstairs, and sat down on a chair across from the couch. After a few moments of silence, our mom came down the stairs, with a warm smile on her face, like she hadn't argued with dad. Mom had crystal blue eyes, red hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and fair skin. A lot of people say I look like a miniature version of her, and now that I think about it, I kinda do. With the exception of my eyes being an emerald color.

"Hey guys! How was hide and seek?" She asked.

"I lost." I mumbled. Denis smirked.

"Well, dinner is ready if any of you are interested. This was followed by a chorus of cheers, and hugs. For dinner we had chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas. Afterwards we all played a couple rounds of monopoly, (Denis won every time), and soon Dad came home, with cherry pie. In our family, its kind of a tradition to play games together and eat pie every Friday night. Dad had chocolate brown hair, green eyes, and fair skin. He had a dorky side to him, which Denis inherited.

"Hi dad!" I jumped up, and gave him a big hug, my siblings following my lead.

"Hey kids!" Dad smiled warmly at us. I smiled back, but the smile was replaced by a curious stare as I looked behind him. Standing behind him was a medieval knight, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, and there was a red cross across his chest. It was a Templar Knight. I read about them in a book at school, and they were described as noble people who fought in the Crusades. But something wasn't right with this knight. He seemed faded, and static surrounded him. Then he was gone.

"Artemis?" Mom asked, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" I looked away from where the knight stood, and looked at my mother's worried face. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

There was a pause, but Dad interrupted the silence.

"So who wants pie?" Dad grinned.

"Me!" My siblings said, faces beaming.

"I think I'll skip out on this one. I'm not feeling very well." I said, turning around to head upstairs. "I probably just need to rest."

"We'll save a piece of pie for you!" Dad reassured me.

"Thanks." I smiled, and headed upstairs to the room I shared with my two younger sisters.

After I put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth, I crawled into bed, and I tried to fall asleep, but none came.

_What is going on? Why am I seeing things? And what are mom and dad not telling me? _I thought. Soon sleep finally came, and I dreamed about Templar Knights and these mysterious people in white hoods.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three:**

The sunlight filtered in through my bedroom window, and I was completely wrapped up in my blankets. After taking a moment to unroll myself, make my bed, and put on a sweater, I headed downstairs where everyone was either sitting at the table eating pancakes, or watching cartoons in the living room.

"Good morning!" I chirped, walking into the kitchen to grab a plate of pancakes.

"Good morning Artemis!" Ella said, waddling up to me to give me a hug.

"Did you sleep well?" My mom asked.

"I guess." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Was it a nightmare?" Dad asked.

"Sort of." I said. "I don't want to talk about it."

After I finished my breakfast, I sat down on the couch, and watched cartoons with my family for a few hours.

"Artemis?" Lily asked me.

"Yeah?" I said, not taking my eyes off the television screen.

"When you're done watching cartoons...um... can we go outside and explore the woods?" Lily said in a small voice. Lily is a generally quiet person, and she can be really shy sometimes.

"Sure!" I said, smiling. "in fact, I'll go get dressed right now!"

Lily's face seemed to light up. I jumped up, ran upstairs, but on jeans, a light green top, brown sneakers, put on a jacket, and rushed back downstairs. Lily was sitting patiently by the door, and jumped up when I opened the door.

"Ready?" I grinned.

"Yup!"

"Then lets go!" I let Lily go out the door before me, closed the door, and together we walked to the woods. Eventually Lily started talking about animals of every shape and size, then we talked about fairy tales, and after a few minutes of climbing trees, we headed home.

The rest of the day went by really quickly, and after dinner, I got a phone call from my friend Seth was tall for his age, he had untidy black hair and deep blue eyes.

"Sup Artemis?" Seth said.

"Nothing much, you?" I asked.

"Just got home from visiting my grandparents." Seth replied.

"Cool." I smiled.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could meet me at the park tomorrow." Seth asked.

"Sure!" I said. "we were heading there tomorrow anyways!"

"Great! I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"See ya!" After I said that, the phone line went dead, and I handed the phone back to mom. Dinner followed, and after that, bedtime. After we all put our pajamas on, mom and dad tucked us into bed, kissed all of us goodnight, and turned off our bedroom lights. When my head hit my pillow, a crinkling noise came from underneath it. Reaching my hand underneath my pillow, I felt around and I felt a piece of paper, I held it up to the moonlight and read what was on it.

_Under your bed is a backpack full of supplies that your father, Denis, Lily, Ella and I put together. You'll know when to use it._

I looked under my bed, and sure enough, it was there. I looked back up, and there was a man sitting at the foot of my bed. He was wearing a vest and a white shirt, boots, and a leather cord necklace. He gave me a cocky smile and a wave, before disappearing. Not even bothering to wonder about it, I fell asleep to the same dream I had the night before.

_**a few hours**_**_ later_****...**

I woke up to the sound of gunfire. I jumped out of bed, scanning the room, and my sisters were gone. I grabbed the pack under my bed, and ran out of the room. I checked Denis's room, and he wasn't there. I checked my parent room, and they weren't there either. I ran downstairs, and the front door had falling off its hinges, and several holes were in the door. I ran outside, where sleek black cars were parked everywhere, surrounding the house. In front of my some people had forced my family to their knees, and guns were being held to their heads.

"Mom!" I cried, running out the door.

"Artemis! Run!" Denis shouted. Lily and Ella were crying, Denis was shaking, and my parents looked like they had been through a long hard fight.

"Artemis! Go! Run!" My dad hollered. A man in a white hood appeared beside me, but he wasn't the man who appeared earlier.

Several more gunshots were heard, and the house burst into flames. Then there five more went off, and my family fell to the ground...dead.

"No!" I screamed. The man beside me turned and ran into the woods, and seeing that I had no options, I followed him. We disappeared into the woods, far away from home. I sat down on a log, and tried to gather my thoughts. I rummaged through my pack, and found a flashlight, a book about how to survive, matches, rope, several water bottles, a jacket with a hood, some sort off mechanism that pulls out these short blades if you wear them on your wrists, wads of cash and a photo of my family. It was a photo of us in front of our house, and we all looked very happy. After staring at the photograph for a few minutes, I burst into tears. Gathering what little courage I had, I placed everything back in the pack, put on the blades, then put my new jacket on. I slung my pack over my shoulders, then put my hood on. The jacket was a little big on me, and the hood was lowered so that it shielded half my face from view. I set off at a brisk pace, toward the city. I figured that was the best place to hide, and I would become a blade in the crowd.


	5. Chapter Four

_**Ten years**__**later...**_

It was a bright sunny day in the city of Dundee. People were moving about with no regard for each other, only hoping to purchase their needed items, and to return home to get out of the heat. It was the middle of summer, and the today it was extremely hot, probably one of the hottest days recorded. I was sweating just as much as anyone, but not because of the heat. I was sweating from excitement.

It had been ten years since my family was killed. I ran away, following a strange man, that only I could see. Over the years I discovered that I can see shadows of the past, like objects or people. And sometimes, the people I see speak to me. And I speak to them. But since nobody else can see them, it looks like I am talking to myself.

The only people of the past that I have spoken to frequently, are Altair and Ezio. Ezio is the one who appeared at my bedside the night my family died, and Altair is the one who helped me escape. Under Altair and Ezio's training, they taught me the ways of the Brotherhood, and I have been unofficially been recruited to the Assassins.

On the night my family was murdered, I swore that those responsible for their death would die by my hand, and I have tracked one of them to here. I hid, pick pocketed, and killed to find this person. Apparently his name was John Chaterdale. He was the one who shot Ella. I stood up from the bench where I had watched the crowd, and I walked around the corner into an alley way, and climbed up the side of a building. I perched myself on the roof, and scanned the street below. After what seemed like hours, I saw him, and and I scaled down the side of the building, and ran after him.

He must have known I was coming, because he shoved some people to the ground, and ran, with me right on his heels. I chased him through the streets, down, alleys, and ever buildings. Just when I thought I had him, I slammed into someone, we both fell to the ground, and my target escaped.

"Great...you seriously need to watch where you're going." I muttered, standing up. Taking a closer look the person I crashed into, he had untidy black hair, blue eyes, tall, and he was well built.

"Artemis?" He said, cocking his head to the side.

"Seth?" I asked, shock, and happiness.

Then Seth pulled me into a hug, (surprisingly) and wouldn't let go.

"I thought you died." Seth whispered.

"You...you knew what happened?" I asked.

"We all did! It was all over the news and everything!" Seth exclaimed.

"I never did pay attention to that stuff." I said dismissively.

"Have you been living on the streets?"

"Mostly."

"Follow me, there is some people I want you to meet." Seth smiled, letting me go, and leading me down an alley.


	6. Chapter Five

Seth and I wandered the streets, avoiding the crowds, and sneaking past policemen. We mainly stayed quiet, and the only time we spoke is when there was a guard to avoid, or a long jump or something along those lines. We walked for what seemed like hours, and it was nearly nightfall when we finally made it out of the city. Seth lead me through a forest path, and we continued our silent trek through the wilderness.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "What were you doing chasing that man?"

"He was my target." Seth replied.

"Target?" I asked.

"Yeah. He was one of the people responsible for...killing your family." Seth said.

"I know. I was chasing him for the same reason as you."

"You were?" Seth said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yup." I nodded.

"What if I told you if he was part of a secret organization?"

"Really?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. Of course I already knew that, but I decided to pretend I didn't, just for a laugh.

"This organization has been around for a long time, at least since the dawn of the Egyptian civilization. Maybe even longer than that." Seth said.

"That sounds like something out of a fairy tale." I said, frowning.

"That's what most people would say." Seth shrugged.

"Well unlike most people, I'm listening." I smiled. Seth half smiled.

"And that's where the Assassins come in." Seth continued. "The Assassins have been fighting the Templars for a long time. And I'm one of them."

"Why do you guys fight?" I asked, trying to hide my amusement.

"Templars want one thing, power. They won't stop until we are all under their control, literally."

"And the Assassins stop them from achieving their goal?" I guessed.

"You know all of this stuff don't you." Seth said with an annoyed tone.

"You know me too well!" I laughed. Eventually Seth smiled. For a while we talked, mainly catching up on what happened in the past ten years.

When Seth found out that my family was killed, he spent the rest of his life looking for me. He searched everything on the internet, news, court cases about my family's killing, any where he thought that would at least have some information. Then his parents told him about the Assassins. His family was one of the few families who are loyal to the Assassin's cause, just like my family. Seth trained in secret, and by the time he graduated high school, he was a full assassin.

Already the moon had risen into the clear night sky, and an old ware house loomed above us. Seth walked forward, removed some branches and leaves, revealing an old steel door. Seth heaved it open, and the door let out a small groan. We walked in, and made our way through crates that have probably been here for a couple years.

Eventually we ended up in a room, where three people where.

"Hey Artemis!" One of them said. I wide smile formed across my face. I was surrounded by all my friends.


	7. Chapter Six

"You guys are all here?!" I grinned

"Yup!" A blond woman said. Her name was Amy, and she is probably one of the smartest people I know. And she was really good with researching stuff.

"It's about time you showed up," Louis said, nodding to the wall on his right. "We've been looking for you for ages!" Louis was a very athletic person, and if I recall correctly, new a lot more about technology than any of us did.

I walked over to the wall, and it was plastered with magazine and newspaper articles. _Five found dead, one missing. Terrorist Attack? _Numerous titles adorned each page, and they all said the same thing. I tore a page down and read its contents.

_On October 11, 7:46am, a family was found dead outside their burned down home. Five Falconers were found with signs of being shot on the sides of their heads, but one body was missing. Several car tire tracks were found all around the house, but where they lead no one knows for now...the search continues for the missing Falconer...no trail indicates that the last Falconer, Artemis, is still alive...friends of the family are devastated. _

_"Artemis was my best friend...I just hope she's alive somewhere.." Amy Rose, a close friend to Artemis says. The family will be buried at the local cemetery..._

I crumpled the page up in my fist, and let the paper drop to the ground.

"Sorry about your family Artemis." Amy said, standing behind me. I sat down in one of the empty chairs, and buried my face in my hands, trying to hide my tears. For the last ten years, I had tried to forget what happened, to forget the pain. But I guess you can't run away from your past.

"It's okay." I muttered, not daring to speak louder. Looking up at all my friends I asked.

"Are you all part of the Brotherhood?" I asked.

"Yes." Louis confirmed.

"What is your plan?" I continued.

"Our plan was to find you, and bring you into the Brotherhood, but it seems like you've done that on your own." Amy said, nodding at my hidden blades.

"Now what, you've found me, what's our next move?" I pressed on.

"What do you think it is?" Seth asked, leaning against a pole. After a pause, I finally came to a conclusion.

"Killing Templars, specifically, those who killed my family." I said. Louis grinned.

"Then lets begin!" Louis pulled down a sheet, revealing a wall covered in photos of Templars, and their names under them. Some already had a red 'x' over their faces, and this brought a grim satisfaction to me. There were at least nine photos. They were all organized like a hierarchy chart, starting with those who shot my family, to the people who gave away our location, to the one who ordered the attack.

"So who's first?" I asked, grinning.

~0~

Once we had found some sleeping bags for all of us we situated ourselves in the corner of the warehouse, and had agreed on who would be taking the first watch, (Amy), and soon we all fell asleep.

It took awhile for sleep to come to me though, but eventually it did, and the nightmares arrived.

_I was running through an endless forest, my face and hands stained with blood that shone silver in the moonlight. Looking up I could see no stars, no clouds, only the full moon. Hearing muffled groans behind me, I quickened my pace, my feet barely touching the ground. I leapt over fallen trees, ducked under low hanging branches and kept running. I didn't dare look behind me, I feared what might be there. Finally I came upon a clearing, and in the center was a dead oak tree, and hanging from one of its branches, was my family's mangled bodies, and I let out a blood curdling scream._

I woke up in a cold sweat, and I was trembling. After taking a moment to calm down, I sat up, and looked into the darkness.

"Amy?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" She yawned.

"Get some rest, I'll take the next watch." I whispered back. Shuffling could be hear from where Amy was, and soon she was asleep. I sat there in the darkness, my eyes scanning for any movement and my ears pricked for any sounds. After waking up Louis, I go back to sleep, and thankfully no dreams came.


	8. Chapter Seven

I woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon. Without sitting up, I observed my surroundings. Seth and the others were standing around the photos of Templars, and Altair was standing right next to them, but I knew they couldn't see him. Ezio was perched on a beam above them, observing them like a hawk.

_"Ezio?" _I called out to him.

_"Yes bella (beautiful)?" _He replied. I could just imagine an arrogant smirk spreading across his face.

_"Ezio, you'd better not be flirting with Artemis." _Altair growled.

_"Aw come on nonno (grandfather)!" _Ezio complained. _"How did you know!" _

_"Please don't call me that." _Altair replied.

_"I bet you're just jealous!" _Ezio said teasingly, leaping down from where he was perched to stand behind Altair.

_"I'm not!" _Altair whipped around to face Ezio.

_"Hey Artemis! Altair-" _Ezio began, but Altair clamped a hand over Ezio's mouth.

_"You better shut up before that pretty face of yours gets damaged." _Altair hissed. Ezio let out a few muffled protests, and I began to laugh.  
Ezio and Altair both looked at me sheepishly, and Altair released his grip on Ezio. I sat up, strapped on my hidden blades, and headed to where the others were standing.

"So, what's up?" I smiled.

"Well, nothing much, just trying to figure out where this man is." Seth said, pointing at one of the people at the bottom of the chart. His name, was John Chaterdale.

"He escaped into the west of Dundee didn't he?" I asked. Louis and Amy nodded.

"Then how about after breakfast, we split up, and search that area?" I suggested. Louis shook his head.

"It's not that simple." Louis continued. "You're looking for one man, in a sea of many, it's highly unlikely you'll find him."

"Not if there are many of us looking for him at the same time." I insisted.

"But there are four of us, and who knows how many in that city!" Amy exclaimed.

"But there are." I assured them.

"And who else is here?" Louis asked.

"I'll show you." I smiled, leading them out of the ware house and into the city.

**Sorry for the short chapter! I promise the next one will be longer! Thank you all who have read this book so far. You guys are the reason I keep writing! :) stay awsome! **


	9. Chapter Eight

I lead my friends through the cities alleyways and streets, until we came upon a place where many alleyways connected, and there was a homeless person leaning against a wall, a tin cup in is hands.

"Oi! Jeremy!" I called. Jeremy was one of my many homeless friends, and he helped me many times to track down my targets.

"'Ello Artemis." Jeremy nodded. "And who are these people with ya?"

"Some old friends from long ago." I said.

"Oh. 'ow did your search with John go?" Jeremy continued.

"I found him, but failed to send him to the devil." I said, a grim expression on my face.

"Now that ain't good." Jeremy said. "Are ya still looking for the bloke?"

"Yes." I nodded, placing a few coins in his tin cup. "Go alert the others."

Jeremy nodded, and ran off down the alley.

"I see you've made a few friends." Louis said.

"What did you mean by 'others'?" Amy cocked her head to the side.

"The other friends I have made, the homeless, thieves, and the poor. They all scout the city for me, and bring back valuable information." I grinned. "If you pay them well enough. I literally have eyes and ears all over this city."

"That is awesome." Seth said. "We may actually find him!"

"Let's split up, and see what other information we can gather." Amy suggested.

"Okay. Meet back here at noon." Seth said, and we all nodded in agreement, and we went our separate ways.

**~0~**

Artemis climbed up the building next to her, Seth ran down the alley behind him, the same one that Jeremy exited from, and Louis went down the alley to his left, and that left me, Amy Rose, in the streets of Dundee. I set off at a brisk pace down an alley, and scanned the streets for any Templars.

After what seemed like hours, a Templar finally showed up, and he kept checking over his shoulder.

"Someone looks like they're going somewhere!" I muttered, "And he doesn't want to be followed." I stayed close behind him, but far enough that he didn't notice me. I followed him through a network of alleyways until we came upon a place were there were at least three other Templars there, and they were in deep conversation. I ducked behind a dumpster, and listened in on their conversation.

"Were you followed David?" One of them said.

"No John." David said.

"Good, the last thing we need is an assassin to deal with." A different voice said.

"I had a bit of a run in with one yesterday," John continued. "The Gifted One is here."

_The Gifted One? _I thought.

"Then we must leave, it's only a matter of time before she strikes." Another voice said.

"Agreed, but before I leave, I have some business to attend to at the art show near the museum." John said.

"Very well, the rest of us leave for London tomorrow morning." David said.

"May the Father of Understanding guide us." They all said together, before separating. I silently ran from my hiding position, back towards our meeting place.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine **

We all made it back to the alley safely, and we all had some information thankfully.

"So what did you all find?" I asked.

"I know where John is gonna be!" Amy exclaimed. "He's gonna be at the art show near the museum today."

"I found out that he is gonna be accompanied by three body guards." Louis said, folding his arms.

"I know where police are stationed for the art show." Seth reported.

"Jeremy reported back to me that some other suspicious folks were leaving town today." I said, and Amy nodded.

"Three other Templars met with John not more than an hour ago." Amy said. "They said that they would be leaving to who knows where."

"Hopefully someone will come up with that information." Louis said. "But what's our plan?"

"I've got an idea." Seth said. So we spent the next half hour discussing our plan. Eventually we agreed that Seth, Louis, and Amy would keep the body guards and policemen occupied, while I go after John. We were already in our positions, and Louis let off the first set of smoke bombs, and Seth and Amy ran at the body guards and began sparring with them. I ran to John, rage fueling my every move. At the last second he whipped around, pulling out a wickedly long dagger, and it grazed my left cheek, and I pulled out my two hidden blades, and I ducked, whirled, and slashed at him. Eventually he tripped over his own feet from trying to back away from me and I pounced on him like a cat, and pinned him down with one arm, and I raised my hidden blade.

"Bealtaine bás a thabhairt duit aon Trioblóidí. Chuid eile i síocháin." I said, my expression blank as I shoved my blade through his neck. Blood poured out of the wound I made as I stood up, and looked at his corpse. Instantly I heard sirens wailing, and my friends and I ran through the crowd, and went our separate ways and made it back to the base. We exchanged hugs and congratulations on our fighting, and Amy handed me a red marker.

"Go mark him dead." She nodded to the wall of names and photos. I walked right up to his picture, and drew a big red 'x' over his face, a feeling of satisfaction swelling up inside me.

"_Well done Artemis." _Altair smiled.

_"It seems that all you're training pulled off!" _Ezio said. I smiled.

"_Thanks you two." _I said.

"Okay! Group meeting!" Louis called out, and we all gathered around a table.

"When I was eavesdropping on the Templar's conversation, they mentioned someone called The Gifted One, anyone have a clue who this person might be?" Amy asked, looking at everyone. For a while the whole warehouse was silent.

"I know who they are." I muttered, looking down at my shoes. Everyone stared at me, waiting for an answer. Finally I looked up, and sighed.

"Its me. I'm the Gifted One." I said sounding more confident than I meant to. And I swear everyone's jaw dropped all the way to the floor.

**Hello again my dear readers! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was busy because I had band rehearsals, and I had a little trouble with writing this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it, and thank you all who have left a review and followed this story so far. Stay awesome! **


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"What?!" Louis nearly shouted, causing me to flinch. "Why didn't you tell us this?"

"It didn't seem like the right time!" I muttered.

"Louis calm down," Amy said, looking at him dead in the eyes. Louis' shoulders relaxed, and he calmed down a lot. Seth however, was leaning back in his chair, and he seemed deep in thought.

"What is your gift exactly?" Seth asked, looking at me.

"I can see people and lost things from a long time ago." I said, "Mainly things related to the struggle of Assassins and Templars. And sometimes, they speak to me. And I can speak to them."

"And can you possibly, show us what you see?" Amy tipped her head to the side, and I motioned for all of us to hold hands. Seth held my right, and Amy held my left, and Louis held Seth and Amy's free hand. I closed my eyes, and projected my mind.

I opened my eyes, and some kind of silver and gold matrix surrounded us, and people clad in white and black robes ran and climbed buildings around us, and some were being chased by people with red crosses on their uniforms. Swords clashing and arrows whizzing through the air could be heard all around us, and soon this place became a battle. I could see Ezio run across the place to attack a dark haired man, and the two sparred. My friends watched in awe as the battle raged around us, but I was beginning to panic. A bead of sweat trickled down my head as images swirled in my head, some blurring into the next. Words filled my ears, and I could not make sense of any of it. Assassins and Templars alike died around us, and battle cries were lost in the wind. When my head felt like it was about to explode, my hands slipped away from Seth and Amy's, and I fell to the floor.

**~0~**

I woke up on my sleeping bag, and Seth and the others, were standing in the corner talking in the corner. I focused in on their conversation, and stayed still.

"Should we tell her that?" Amy whispered.

"No, if we told her that the Templars killed her family because they were after her gift, she'd blame herself for their death." Seth muttered.

"But we can't hide the truth from her." Louis replied. I stopped listening after that, just turned over on my side, facing away from my friends, as a single tear fell down my face as the grief of my family's death came upon me, but much stronger, and more painful.

**Again thank you all for the support! I would like to hear more from you wonderful people, and please leave some suggestions! Feel free to fave and follow this story, cuz the more support I get, the more I want to write for you guys! See ya all later!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

The rest of the week was relatively quiet. Amy, Louis and I scoured the city the web for any clues of the Templars that left a few days ago. Louis is probably the best hacker in the world, and sits at his desk for hours on end, tapping rapidly on his computer keyboard. Amy traveled all over Dundee, asking members of Artemis's 'Homeless Network' if they had seen or heard anything, but there was no new information. I scoured the news, and talked to the common folk in the city if they had heard anything interesting, but all they would talk about was Artemis's recent kill.

Artemis seemed even more quiet then usual. Once Amy showed her our training area in the woods, Artemis practically spent all her time there, training. When she would come back for dinner, she would drenched in sweat, with a towel around her neck, and she would grab something to eat, then head of to one of the showers we built. The next day, she would come to breakfast, then go back to training. The rest of us new she wasn't okay, I was really, really worried.

"Seth, you should't worry so much." Amy said, as she scrolled through airport data.

"Huh?" I said, looking up from my laptop.

"I can tell that you really care about Artemis." Amy smiled. I looked back down at my laptop, and continued typing. It's true, I care a lot about Artemis, and I didn't really know how to control these feelings.

"Go check on her." Amy said, resuming her task.

"What?" I asked looking back up at her.

"Go check on Artemis." Amy replied**. **I stood up, and walked quickly to the training ring, and there I found Artemis, with strips of cloth wrapped around her knuckles for protection, and she was repeatedly punching one of the punching bags we had set up. Her hidden blades were still on her, and she seemed lost in thought. Eventually she let out a enraged shout, flicked out both her hidden blades, and slashed open two large holes in the punching bag.

"Artemis? Are you okay?" I asked, as she sat down on one of the benches, burying her face in her hands. She shook her head as I sat down next to her.

"Its my fault." Artemis muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"Its my fault my family is dead!" She growled. "It because of my gift that they're-" I pressed my forefinger to her lips, and I could swear I saw her cheeks become a slight shade of pink.

"Two things. One, it isn't you're fault you're family's dead. The only ones who are to blame are the people who killed them. Two, I bet you're family is very proud of you for coming this far." I said. Tears began to fall down Artemis's face, and soon she was sobbing. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and she rested her head on my shoulder, and we stayed that way until Louis called us to dinner.

**Sup my lovely readers? Sorry for the short chapter, but school is starting to get in the way of me writing more often. Thank you all for the support, and please leave a review or follow this story! And please leave some suggestions for this story! :)**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Eleven **

"I found them!" Louis jumped out of his seat, a victorious grin on his face.

"Really?" Amy asked as she came over to stand by Louis.

"Where are they?" I asked, standing up. It had been several days since my recent kill in Dundee. Seth would train with me a lot, and now I was pretty confident that if anyone came up against me, I could probably wipe them out in a matter of seconds.

"They're in Edinburgh!" Seth said, looking at the computer screen.

"Where are they in Edinburgh?" I asked.

"Well, if i hack into..." Louis went on and on about computer codes and stuff, until he gave us an answer. "They should be in a ware house near a river."

"Louis, you are a genius!" Amy shouted gleefully.

"Louis, do you think you can print out a map of this warehouse?" Seth asked. Louis grinned.

"I'll do that right away." Louis went to typing, and when the map was finally printed his face fell.

"Slight problem." Louis said as he laid out the piece of paper on one of the tables. "Not only did I get a detailed map, but it also shows where all the security cameras and guards are. Guards are stationed all around the roof, on every exit and entrance, and there are security cameras on every corner of the building. Its not like we can just walk in through the front door."

That is when an idea hit me.

"Why not?" I asked. All my friends looked at me like I was some sort of crazy person, and maybe I am crazy. "That's exactly what we'll do." For the next half hour we devised a plan, and we were all set to head to the capital of Scotland.

**~0~**

We were all perched on a roof top of a building. Amy had several throwing knives hidden inside her jacket, sleeves, and boots, Louis had several smoke bombs and flares ready, Seth had a wickedly long dagger, and we all had our hidden blades, we all wore leather vambraces, and leather chest guards hidden under our jackets. Louis had already rewired the security cameras to loop old footage, and Amy had taken her position to take out four guards guarding one of the entrances. In an instant, Amy threw knives down on the guards, and each of the guards fell to the ground dead. Louis and Seth scaled down the building and hid the bodies. _So far so good._ I thought. I opened the doors, and we silently ran up some stairs so we could be on the railing above the floor. Eventually we found the two Templars walking by. I signaled to my friends to spread out, and when they were in position, I leapt down from the railing, flicked out my hidden blades, landed on top of the two of them, and shoved my blades through their necks. The second I killed them I regretted it. I was met with the sound of guns clicking, and a tall man, probably in his forties stepped out of the shadows.

"Well if it isn't Artemis, The Gifted One." He said. I stood up, the blood from my victims necks spilling out onto the floor beneath my feet.

"Where are my manners?" the man smiled, but it wasn't a kind smile. "My name Fabian." When I didn't reply, Fabian sighed in disappointment. Like he was expecting me to say _'Hi my name is Artemis its nice to meet you. I'm here to send you down to the devil.'_

"I knew you would come. "I have waited ever so patiently." He walked around me in a circle, looking at me like a cat sizing up its prey.

"So I guess you're not mad that I just killed two of your fellow Templars?" I replied cooly. Fabian waved his hand dismissively.

"They were disposable." He said. "Besides, it was a necessary sacrifice."

"Sacrifice for what?"

"You're capture."

"Then it would be a shame if their lives were wasted." I said. As if he could read my mind, Louis threw down a smoke bomb and the room was shrouded in gray smoke. I scaled up some crates like a squirrel. When I reached the top, Seth bent over the railing and reached his hand towards me. I grabbed his hand and he hauled me over the railing. By that time the smoke had cleared and Templars began to shoot us. We made a beeline for a ladder that provided access to the roof and we breathed in the fresh air. But our relief was short lived. The guards on the roof attacked us, and in a matter of minutes they lay dead at our feet. We rushed to the edge of the roof and began to climb down. I tried not to think about the swirling and roaring water below us, and kept climbing.

All of the sudden there was a bang, and Seth let out a cry of pain as blood poured out of his shoulder. My eyes widened in shock was Seth lost his grip, and plummeted toward the river.

"Seth!" I shrieked, and I dove into the river after him.

**Hello again! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I have had tons of homework, marching band practice, and lack of inspiration for this chapter. I'd like to thank two of my best friends on helping me with this chapter, (I won't mention any names). Please fave and follow this story if you'd like, and leave a review please! Thanks you and I'll see you later!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen **

I remember falling, and someone screaming my name. The sky is a clear blue, and there isn't a cloud in the sky. The white water swirls below me, the roaring water filling my ears. Just before I hit the water, I saw a read-headed figure fall in front of me, and then everything went black.

**~0~**

"Will he be okay?" I asked the James. Luckily Amy knew of a fellow Assassin who worked at a hospital, and Louis brought fake IDs for all of us. Seth was currently in a hospital bed, his shoulder bandaged and his skin was very pale. I was in a chair next to him, and Amy and Louis were in the waiting room.

"I can't say. Luckily the bullet go straight through his lung, the trajectory wasn't right, but there are several shattered bones in his left shoulder, and the bullet would be extremely hard go get out. He would need surgery for that." James said solemnly. My heart sank.

"And if the surgery worked?" I asked.

"Seth may or may not be able to use his left arm again." James said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I tried to fight back tears. First my family, now this?! One of my friends nearly died because of me!

Seth shifted a bit, and his eyes slowly opened.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone. Let me know if you need anything." James left the room, and I looked back at Seth.

"Artemis?" He croaked.

"I'm here." I said softly, attempting a smile.

"What...what happened?" He asked. Sighing, I explained to him that after he fell, I dove into the river after him and dragged him to shore. Amy and Louis had been running along the riverbank, trying to keep up with us.

"What?" Seth tried to sit up, but hissed in pain and he clutched his shoulder. I gently pushed him back against the pillows, and he looked at me in interest.

"Don't push yourself to hard." I said, trying to hide the redness in my cheeks. Seth just smiled. He took my hand, and he looked me directly in the eyes. I couldn't help but admire how blue they were.

"Will I be okay?" He asked.

"I...I dunno." I said, deciding it was best to be honest. "But you're gonna need surgery to get the bullet out of your shoulder."

"Oh..." Seth seemed rather disappointed.

"Its okay." I said. "You're gonna be fine."

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry that this is such a short chapter. Please leave a review, I'd like to hear what you guys want me to write for this book. Thank you all who have read, followed, and selected this story as one of your faves. I never thought that this story would have so many readers! Thanks and I'll see ya all later! :D**


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